Author: lleonardbw

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Oakland needs Golden State Warriors

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by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

OAKLAND–During the past few years downtown Oakland became famous for the demonstrations, the Occupy movement, the riots, the anarchist covering their faces while destroying windows, cars, stores an anything on theirway, all that negative stuff that was all over national television, while on the other side of the bay, the Giants had three World Series parades in the last five years and were seen celebrating in front of a million people down Market street.

I am not trying to compare Oakland to San Francisco, because everybody knows that San Francisco’s beauty and status ranks very high over Oakland, and over many other cities.

The Golden State Warriors have not won an NBA championship since the 1974-1975 season; and this year they look like they are going to repeat for the first time since then.

There were rumors that if the Warriors captured the NBA title this season, there will be a parade in San Francisco, but that is incorrect. Even the thought of the Warriors planning to build an arena in San Francisco and eventually move there, they still are playing in Oakland territory, and if the win the NBA title the Victory Parade
will be down Broadway in downtown Oakland.

It is not a ‘done deal’that the Warriors will be playing in San Francisco, there is opposition to their arena in that city led by the Mission Bay Alliance, and as we all know (those of us that have lived here for many decades)one of the toughest things to do in San Francisco is to build any type of sports venue.

There are environmentalists that would favor the survival of a two billion year smelt that lives under the docks, over any type of building, and residents that have complained already that their view of the bay will be obstructed by building an arena for the Warriors. Campaign consultant and San Francisco political guru Jack Davis is leading the charge to stop the new Warriors arena with Mission Bay Alliance.

Common sense tells us that eventually the Warriors will build their new arena in San Francisco, it is a happening city, one of the most expensive cities in the country and with the influx of the high technology crowd moving up north from San José/Silicon Valley, there is plenty of money by the Golden Gate. So in the long run, the possibility of the Warriors playing in a new arena in San
Francisco is very big.

However, today 2015 the Golden State Warriors are still an Oakland team, and should have been named the Oakland Warriors a very long time ago. Other franchises have changed their “generic”names, to reflect the city where they actually play. Regardless, the City of Oakland can use a parade, a festive affair that brings people together in a
positive celebratory mode.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Angels Spanish TV voice and the A’s radio Spanish voice and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants Podcast with Jeremy Harness: Lincecum passes Hubbell on all-time list; the Freak more finesse than thrower

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by Jeremy Harness

SAN FRANCISCO–San Francisco Giant pitcher Tim Lincecum surpassed former New York Giant Carl Hubbell on the all time strikeout list on Wednesday night. Lincecum needed four strikeouts at the start of Wednesday night to pass Hubbell for fourth place on the list. Lincecum got the four and got a standing ovation for the strikeout which ended the inning.

Looking back on the career of Lincecum he won the Cy Young award in 2009 and 2010 and he had remarkably great stuff and he had some other great pitches but his location wasn’t very good but he was able to get away with it because his fastball was so good that batters had to respect that. Nowadays his fastball doesn’t top 90.

More accurately he now throws around 87-88 MPH so when you lose that much velocity your control becomes that much more important. It been a few years for Lincecum since he had command of his fastball than other pitches. What was happening hitters would sit on the change up and they would hit the snot out of it and Lincecum was getting roughed up.

This year he’s starting to figure it out he’s starting to have very good outings particularly the one on Wednesday night against the Dodgers where he throws seven strong innings and gives up only three hits. It was against a very good Dodgers lineup so when you could do that against a lineup like that you know you have your stuff going.

Lincecum is becoming more and more of a pitcher and is less of a thrower, it was very essential in that part of his career and who knows if he didn’t figure it out who knows where he would be? He may not be on the team if he didn’t show flashes of that past greatness. Lincecum is not going to get behind on pitches.

When Lincecum doesn’t have as much velocity that 90s fastball like he used to have, then you have to locate and if you don’t locate your going to get hit extremely hard. The Giants joined the ranks of the 1960, 1968, 2009, and 2012 teams for having six or more shutouts in the month of May. Thus far the Giants have six in May with back to back shutouts on Tuesday and Wednesday nights and it’s a mark of the successful organization that they are.

Jeremy Harness is a San Francisco Giants beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: After opening the series with a win A’s find their inner loser again

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by Charlie O Mallonee

The A’s dropped another tough one behind starter Sonny Gray after winning the first game of this current series in Houston on Tuesday night at Minute Field 6-4. I don’t like to run a round and be Chicken Little but in some ways you have to be right when your talking about the A’s. They went 1-5 on that homestand with Boston and Chicago.

It’s never good to go 1-5 in any six game series but especially not when your at home. The A’s went 1-5 on the last honestand that put them into a situation where they have lost ten of 11. The Athletics have now fallen 13 games under .500, the club owns last place in the American League West. Their 1-13 in one run ball games and it would have been 14 had they lost by one on Tuesday night.

For the A’s that’s a nightmare it’s an absolute nightmare, the A’s are 1-12 in day games, no one has been able to explain that. Why are they losing day games? No one really knows it, they have used 15 different relief pitchers and of those 15 relief pitchers they really haven’t got the job done. With all of this, all the A’s really need to do is to get things right they should play all night games and have at least a two run lead and things will turn around.

Now there’s more doom and gloom in the future for the A’s because their out on the road in Houston and Tampa Bay coming up on Thursday with a seven game road trip. Three games with the Astros who are in first place in the AL West and after they finish with the Astros they have to travel down to Tampa Bay and play in that horrible building Tropicana Field.

They will face a Rays team that is currently tied for first place in the AL East. That’s a last place team’s nightmare while your awake and your still having the nightmare. That’s what the A’s are up against for this road trip. On Monday night you would like to think that was a sign of a turnaround. The A’s were able to do something that haven’t done and that is win.

The A’s won in Houston on the road in that first game and they had starter Drew Pomeranz who came in with a 2-3 record facing Houston’s Lance McCullers who didn’t figure in Tuesday’s decision. McCullers is off to a big start for the Astros he doesn’t have a great record but he has a 1.93 ERA. When your posting that kind of a ERA average your having a big season. Neither starter was overwhelming in that game.

Charlie O has your A’s commentary podcast tonight at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Wonderful tribute to Hall of Fame sportswriter Nick Peters

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by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

SAN FRANCISCO–On Monday, May 18, 2015 at AT&T Park, a Memorial Service was held at 12:30 in the afternoon. Dozens of friends of Nick “The Greek” Peters(1939-2015)were present, many to share their experiences with the Hall of Fame sportswriter. Nick Anthony Peters was born in San Francisco, California, April 1, 1939 and left us on March 23, 2015 in Elk Grove,California. His wife Lise Pointer Peters hosted Nick’s memorial at the Giants Park on 2nd street and King. Lise born in Montreal(Quebec)Canada, where she first met Nick while he was covering the Giants on a roadtrip.

Speakers included lifelong friends of Nick as well as people that worked with Nick Peters covering baseball and other sports. Nick Peters worked for the Berkeley Daily Gazette, the Oakland Tribune, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Sacramento Bee. Among his career highlights 1962 and 1963 Alaska Sportswriter of the Year, covered the 1976, 1984 and 2004 Olympics. In 2009 inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and in 2010 Abraham Lincoln High School Wall of Fame.

Among the many orators aside from his wife Lise, children and grandchildren, were journalist friends that worked with Nick, like Dave Newhouse, Glenn Schwartz, John Shea and Marcos Bretón. In attendance also ex Giants manager Dusty Baker and Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda, plus Arturo Santodomingo, who was the press and traveling secretary for the San Francisco Giants in the early 1960’s, Arturo a pioneer in his own rights, he was the first ever Hispanic to hold that position with a team in Major League Baseball. Art Spander, Duffy Jennings, Robin Carr, Bob Rose, just to mention a few media people,were also in attendance during that cloudy and chilly afternoon in the city.

It was an emotional and funny afternoon(at times)as numerous anecdotes from speakers drew applause from the crowd. In many instances it was revealed and confirmed that Nick enjoyed certain proclivity to driving fast on the freeways, “he loved to drive”said one speaker, as well as collecting sports memorabilia, including baseball cards and he was also a philatelist and numismatist.

Nick Peters(author) chronicled the San Francisco Giants franchise since they first arrived in San Francisco, but he also covered the Raiders, the Warriors and the Athletics.

Nick was a no-nonsense sportswriter who during the 1970’s and 1980’s covering the Giants when they were not winning,Nick always wrote the truth and never sugar-coded a story, he was a hard working newspaper man, who by his own admission during a 15 minutes movie shown at this memorial said: “I worked 12 to 14 hour days”. He is credited with mentoring many other sports journalist, some traveled from out-of-state to be at this emotional memorial tribute to “Nick the Greek”. Al Dougherty, who knew Nick since the 1960’s could not attend but I personally told Nick’s widow Lise that Al wanted to be present and he did sent his very best.

It was said and confirmed that Nick Peters was not a friend of the new technology, that he never sent a Twitter or a Text Message, and when he got his first cell phone he was not very happy that others could find out where he was, as he said “they do not need to know where I am”. By Nick Peters own admission he considered covering the 2004 Olympics in Greece “the highlight of my career”. He was very proud of his Greek heritage. Nick was a Bay Area treasure. May he rest in Peace.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for the A’s and the TV Spanish voice for the Angels and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sportstalk Podcast @ Perko’s restaurant downtown Sacramento Mon May 18, 2015

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perko-s-cafe

Cast: Michael Duca (host), Jerry Fietelberg, Morris Phillips, Charlie O, and Lee Leonard (producer) podcast from Perko’s Restaurant at 925 Third Street downtown Sacramento. Sportstalk covers the struggling Oakland A’s and how A’s manager Bob Melvin is trying to right the ship with a relief core whose trying to find their way. Also the San Jose Sharks are looking over some candidates to fill their vacant head coaching position. Defense is being stressed to get goaltender Antti Niemi some protection. Plus Stephen Curry continues to impress as the Warriors are all set to face the visiting Houston Rockets.

Our thanks to Perko’s owner Ricardo at 26 years old he’s is one of Sacramento’s youngest entrepreneurs and having great success at Perko’s. Amongst Ricardo’s amazing staff restaurant manager Ashley and server Gabby. Gabby and Perko’s recommends for breakfast, the splatter cakes, the crab cakes benedict, for lunch the bacon burger or the crispy chicken, and for dinner chicken fried chicken, steak and fantail shrimp, shrimp and artichoke ravioli. Perko’s does a superb job with their dishes come on down and enjoy the dining experience.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Curry is definitely the game changer when W’s need a lift

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by David Zizmor

OAKLAND–The Warriors had a hiccup in games two and three of the second round with the Memphis Grizzlies. The Warriors defense was not as intense as it needed to be. Their offense was way off they weren’t hitting the shots. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr sat them down after game three and they watched a tape of the game instead of practicing. The Warriors after that review saw for themselves that they looked lackadaisical they just weren’t doing the things that you need to win in those two games in the playoffs against an experienced Memphis team.

If you want to beat a team like the Grizzlies with two powerhouse guys down low like Marcus Gasol and Zach Randolph you really got to put the effort in. There’s no doubt about it this was a really rough series for the Warriors, the Warriors really had to get physical in a way that I haven’t seen them get all season long and in decades.

The Warriors are a team that have the capability and they learned it all own their own and experienced it all on their own. Until they did that and saw that in games two and three they had a lack of effort in games two and three. They beat the New Orleans Pelicans in the four game sweep and it wasn’t an easy sweep by any means as the Pelicans Anthony Davis made sure of that.

Except for that big come back in the New Orleans series when they were really tested even in that big comeback they were really playing their game. They didn’t need to elevate themselves to any degree. That late comeback performance against the Pelicans was something we saw them do several times. The Grizzlies were a team as physical as would find in the NBA.

The Warriors need to learn how they play and change their strategy and with an adjustment all the way around. When the Warriors got to game six on Friday night and actually games four, five and six the Warriors really came out ready to play. They were ready for those three games, the last three games with the Grizzlies the W’s were fantastic.

From start to finish that was the best sequence of games that we’ve seen them play all season long because the Warriors were ready on offense and they were ready on defense. Memphis really didn’t get anything going too hard against them. The Grizzlies appeared to be making it close but the Warriors kind of shut it down. The Warriors will be going through some drills between now and Tuesday night which is game one of round three of these playoffs.

David Zizmor does Warriors commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com listen the podcast below

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Warriors playing like money in the bank

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by Amaury Pi Gonzalez & Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Golden State Warriors you can’t stop them you can only contain them and not for long either. The work of Draymond Green worked again stopping the Grizzlies Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph the Warriors played some awesome ball against the Memphis Grizzlies in game five on Wednesday. Game six was dominated quickly when the Warriors made work of the Grizzlies in the first quarter.

Gasol has played a seven years in the league he’s a veteran but the Warriors are a better team the Warriors won game five by 20 98-78. The Warriors have got great depth out of Andre Iguodala and David Lee. Lee has come off the bench and has been very good, Iguodala has been a great defensive player. Warriors ace Stephen Curry brings his A game every night he’s the MVP what else can you say.

There is no doubt about it this might be the best team for the Warriors of all time in their history. They had great players like Rick Barry, Clifford Ray, Charles Johnson, and George Johnson from the 1974-75 championship season. This year’s team have completely overwhelmed the Grizzlies, the three pointers are falling and their shooting is awesome, this very well could be the best Warriors team ever.

The 74-75 Warriors were like lighting in a bottle they went all the way but you have to remember that Clifford Ray was no Nate Thurmond. The Warriors had George Johnson, Charles Johnson and Phil Smith at center. They went deep in the 75-76 post season but they never made another finals appearance again. The Warriors will face either the Clippers or the Rockets for the next round depending on the outcome of their game on Saturday night.

Green held off a 6’9 Randolph and Gasol 7’1, the Warriors Matt Barnes has been a great help, Klay Thompson, Iguodala, Leandro Barbosa, Lee, Festus Ezeli, and the Warriors destroyed the Grizzlies defensively and there is no reason why they can’t go all the way with a club like this with good defensive players.

That’s a good point comparing this year’s Warriors to that 74-75 team where they got lighting in the bottle, this Warriors team has been pretty good from the beginning. So it would be a bummer if they didn’t make it, even the national media didn’t give the Warriors any respect for them to make the finals, but they certainly have their attention now.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for the A’s, the Spanish TV voice for the Angels, and does News and Commentary. Jerry Feitelberg is also a talk show host for http://www.sportsradioservice.com listen to the podcast below

NHL Stanley Cup Conference Finals Podcast with Joe Lami: Rangers look to go to second straight finals; Hawks have post season experience on Ducks

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by Joe Lami

Eastern Conference Finals Tampa Bay-NY Rangers: The Tampa Bay Lighting who open the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers for game one on Saturday did not have the most stellar start for road games at the beginning of the season. The Rangers play great at home. Game one is probably the most important game of an entire series almost as important as game seven.

Teams that usually win game one tend to win the series and the Garden on Saturday night will be absolutely rocking and the Rangers were in that same position last season where they are back in the conference finals and as the cup representatives from the east they couldn’t beat out L.A. in the finals. The Rangers definitely have the advantage at home, Tampa however are playing good hockey on the road so it should be interesting.

The Rangers Martin St.Louis is still in the hunt for his first goal of the post season but it’s not his scoring total that’s been the answer for the Rangers it’s been about St.Louis’ leadership on the club. St.Louis has won a cup with Tampa Bay. The Lighting’s Ryan Callahan is one of the better representatives for their leadership he was traded for St.Louis back in March and now he’s on the Lighting ironically facing his old club.

Western Conference Finals Chicago @ Anaheim: The Ducks have won eight of nine games of these playoffs and they have lost only one game and that was against Calgary. The Flames got lucky in that they won when they scored a goal with 20 seconds in the third period to tie it to force O.T. and got the game winner on a delay of game penalty in O.T.

The Ducks have been one of the best playoff teams this season and they will have a challenge against Chicago and the Hawks have the most post season experience and this will be an outstanding series. This is going to go seven games it’s a toss up. It helps that the Ducks have the home ice advantage at the Honda Center, the Mad House on Madison (United Center) is just as difficult to play in.

You really need to hold your nerve in this series and losing a home game could be detrimental in a series like this. The Hawks have a great advantage in this series with the goaltending of Corey Crawford and that’s something the Ducks goalies Freddy Anderson and John Gibson don’t have. The Ducks have been riding Anderson and Anderson has been absolutely great but this is where it could come down to concerning playoff experience. Expect Crawford to have the upperhand in experience and he will be outstanding.

Joe Lami is covering the NHL Stanley Cup Conference Finals for http://www.sportsradioservice.com catch his podcast below

Barry Bonds ready to arbitrate baseball: After beating obstruction charges Babo just might be able to prove MLB collusion

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by Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–After beating the Federal Government on obstruction charges and having those charges overturned at the 9th District Federal Court of Appeals last month former Giants outfielder Barry Bonds could very well could have a shot at proving Major League Baseball colluded against him to keep him out of baseball. Bonds could not find a club to play for after the 2007 season. Bonds who knew of the obstruction charges being in the works wanted to wait for the federal judge’s decision before advancing MLB on the collusion case.

He had a very successful legal team that convinced over ten judges in an arbitration hearing to vote to overturn his single obstruction charge for the BALCO/Steriods scandal and now he wants to demonstrate that with a clear name baseball has no reason to keep him out of work. Bonds has worked only as a Giants 2014 spring training hitting coach since leaving baseball. After completing the 2007 season he sought another contract with the Giants but the team thanked him for his services and the team did not resign him.

With Bonds defensive status in question after the 2007 season and after playing since 1986 with the Pittsburgh Pirates and joining the Giants in 1993 and spending much his career in the National League at 43 years old he was most likely not going to land a job with an N.L. club. He was scouted as slow to get to a ball hit in the gap and his defensive prowess was not at his former all star level at the end of the 07 season.

Bonds name was floated in the off season during the winter of 2007-08 as a possible designated hitter for an American League team. Teams mentioned for consideration were all struggling American League teams who might need a DH, the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers, or the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Bonds who many said had a big ego during this period was not interested in playing for teams that were not post season prone.

It turned out to be a long winter for baseball’s all time home run king who finished with a career 762 homers as his phone didn’t ring and he sat and waited for a job somewhere. In a lawsuit filed by Bonds lawyers on Monday Bonds says that MLB owners and it’s properties colluded purposely to keep him out of baseball. Bonds will have to prove that all MLB clubs stated either in emails, documentations, or other forms of written communications to keep Bonds out of baseball.

No one ever really thought that Bonds would be able to get the obstruction charges to be overturned in a federal case which also saw him charged with numerous counts of perjury during his trial none of which he was found guilty for. Bonds is working with his lawyers on the collusion case but according the Players Association Collective Bargaining Agreement Bonds is following up the case with the players union. If the union can not help him he plans litigate independently.

Bonds who this past weekend was inducted into the Bay Area Area Sports Hall of Fame with his former manager Dusty Baker is still struggling to get votes to enter the MLB Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. After much fanfare over his PED use and steroids speculation of his knowledge of using the drug before landing in federal court this was considered to be the crux of why the Baseball Writers of America Association has not voted baseball’s leading home run hitter into the Hall of Fame.

Morris Phillips is a San Francisco Giants beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland A’s and San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca; Wed May 13, 2015

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by Michael Duca

OAKLAND–The A’s dropped their seventh game in eight games to the Boston Red Sox 2-0 on Wednesday afternoon at the Coliseum. If I’m A’s pitcher Sonny Gray I’m slapping my hitters silly. At one point in that game the A’s were 0-13 with runners in scoring position they made 13 outs with runners in scoring position and that was through six innings.

Three of the five outs that the A’s made weren’t with runners in scoring position they led off the inning. So basically the A’s spent the whole day leaving runners on and not getting them home. Gray pitched very well but there was no reason to allow him to finish the game. With the A’s misfortune and no run support their not going to risk Gray.

The Red Sox starter Wade Miley was very efficient he was effective with the curve ball and he had nine strike outs he was getting guys looking and he was getting guys swinging. Miley had the A’s off stride all day. The Sox first run came on a bloop hit that just hit no mans land in the Burmuda Triangle in left field and of course it happened with two outs and it wouldn’t have to come any other time but with two outs and that’s when it had to come.

San Francisco Giants update: The first game against the Houston Astros on Tuesday night of the series the Giants scored three runs in the second and five runs in the fifth first time they did that all year. It’s beginning to become a very interesting tine for Giants third baseman Casey McGehee too because it’s going to be progressively more and more difficult to keep the bat away from Matt Duffy not to mention out of the line up.

The Astros who came into Tuesday night’s game with a five game lead in the American League West got totally throttled and their not used to seeing that kind of hitting against them. They also saw a virtuoso performance by a young pitcher Chris Heston who got to throw a two hitter for a 2-1 win for the Giants.

The story flipped on Wednesday night as the Astros who were trailing the Giants at one point in the game by two runs 3-1. Giants pitcher Tim Hudson lost command of that lead in the sixth inning when the Astros tied up the ball game 3-3 when Houston’s Luis Valbuena belted a 385 foot homer to deep right center off Hudson. The relief staff couldn’t hold the lead when the Astros George Springer in the eighth ripped one to deep left center to give the Astros the lead and win 4-3.

Michael Duca does weekly commentary on the A’s and Giants each week at http://www.sportradioservice.com listen to the podcast below